Author's note: So I really love this story because I need my Spitfire fix (Seriously Cartoon Network scrap the other shit and bring back the good shows. I'm begging). Also aren't my Wally and Artemis such cute parents? Wally with Matty is just so cute. Ok I'm done gushing.
Artemis wakes up in pain. She sits up, one hand going to her pregnant belly, the other shaking her husband awake," Wally. Wally! Wake up."
"Huh?" Wally sits up, fiery hair sticking up on one side," Babe? What time is it?"
"I don't know." Her voice cracks with painful tears," Wally, I think something's wrong."
Wally bolts straight up as Artemis pushes the covers away. His hand flies for the lamp beside their bed. It's light shines against the bloody sheets. Artemis begins to scream, but is cut off by a sharp pain in her chest. The noise dies in her throat. She claws the sheets in agony. Wally jumps out of bed, eyes wide with panic. Artemis finally manages to catch her breath," Hospital. We need to go-"
"On it." He grabs a pair of pants, shoving his legs in hastily. Artemis tries to stand," Artemis, sit down."
"Matty. We need to get Matty." Artemis holds her lower stomach. She feels a sticky patch of blood on her sleep shorts.
"I'm calling someone." Wally reaches for his phone.
"Who?"
"Anyone!" Wally doesn't mean to sound as panicked as he dials the number. A sleepy voice answers.
"Hello?" M'gann yawns.
"How fast can you get here?" Wally struggles to pull on his shoes.
"Wally? Is everything-"
"No. Artemis is bleeding and there might be something wrong with the baby." Wally can hear her bolt up and Conner's annoyed grunting.
"We got in last night for Matty's party. I can be there in ten minutes." M'gann says something to Connor that Wally can't make out.
Conner's voice comes to the phone," Is Artemis Ok?"
"No," Wally looks at his wife. Her face has gone pale and she struggles not to scream in pain.
"You take care of our girl. We'll be there as soon as we can." Conner hangs up.
Artemis cries out in pain, hot tears falling down her cheeks. Wally can hear Matty down the hall beginning to fuss. Artemis gasps," Wally, Get him. Please."
Wally flashes down the hall. Matty giggles as his father crashes into the door," Dada, Dada, Dada."
"Come here, buddy." Wally picks up the little boy and carries him down the hall as fast as he can. Artemis plasters on a smile when she sees Matty.
"Mama!" Matty wiggles free from his father's grasp. Toddling over to his mother, he places his chubby hands on her belly. Ever since Artemis had begun to show, he always greeted her like this. Artemis usually smiled and told him his baby sister said hello. Now she takes his hands," Mama."
"Hi, baby." Artemis's face twists up in pain. Matty points to her belly.
"Baby?" He asks.
"Yes. Baby." Artemis takes her shoes from Wally," Do you think we'd lose any parenting points leaving our almost one year old alone for five minutes?"
"I don't care if we do. I just care if you're ok." Wally grabs his jacket and tosses Artemis hers. He picks Matty up, carrying the boy to the living room. Wally plops him in the playpen before kneeling down," Matty, Mommy isn't feeling good. Daddy and her have to go see the doctor. Auntie M'gann and Uncle Connor are going to come watch you."
"Aun Gann." Matty parrots. He looks back down the hall," Mama."
Wally flashes down the hall. He picks up Artemis bridal style before carrying her down the hall. Every step he takes seems to hurt her. Artemis gasps in pain. Wally is halfway to the door when it flies open. M'gann and Connor look completely disheveled, but Wally doubts he and Artemis look any better.
"Aun Gann!" Matty coos, chubby arms waving for his godmother.
"Thank you," Wally says before flashing out the door. He runs faster than he ever has before, or at least it feels that way. Artemis moans in agony, biting her lip. They're less than a mile from the Hospital, but it feels like a lightyear. He nearly crashes through the sliding glass to the ER," Someone help us! My wife needs help!"
"We need a gurney here stat!" An orderly calls out. Wally set Artemis down and keeps clutching her hand as they roll her to an exam area. The orderlies work quickly, the original one asking them questions," What's your name, sweetie?"
"Artemis," She squeezes Wally's hand painfully," Artemis West."
"Ok, How far along are you?"
"What day is it?" Artemis asks. Wally checks his phone and gives a defeated wheeze.
"It's the 31st." He tells her softly. Matty's birthday.
"I'm 28 weeks," She doesn't have the focus to feel guilty right now. She doesn't have focus for anything really," It's a girl."
"That's good to know." The orderly writes that down," We need to check and see if your dilated."
Wally strokes Artemis's hair, murmuring comfort as they cut away her pajama shorts," It's ok. You and Jani are going to be ok."
"She's six centimeters." An orderly says as an older doctor comes in.
"Mrs. West, I'm Dr. Andrews. Your daughter seems to be ready to come out. We're going to give you some medicine that should stop the labor." Dr. Andrews looks at Wally," I take it you're the father?"
"No- I mean yes, yes," Wally's head spins. Dr. Andrews gives him a knowing smile.
"Just so you know I let all my moms hit the dads when they get too crazy." The man's words strangely calm Wally a bit. Most likely because Artemis would follow through with it and she hits hard. Artemis is admitted to the hospital, Wally never leaving her side. Once she's situated, Dr. Andrews asks them a few questions. No, this is not their first child. Yes, that was a normal pregnancy and delivery. Yes, Wally is a metahuman. No, Artemis is not. Dr. Andrews writes them down," Alright. I'm going to check on you in about an hour. If the labor hasn't slowed enough or the baby is in distress, we're going to talk about options."
Wally smooths some of Artemis's hair," Well, if Jania wanted to make an entrance, she certainly achieved it."
"She's dramatic, like her daddy." Artemis clutches his hand," Matty's birth wasn't this painful."
"Well a lot chances in a year." Wally tells her. Her sharp grey eyes meet his.
"Oh, god." She covers her face," I forgot my own kid's first birthday. I'm an awful mother."
"No you aren't," Wally says," You are an amazing mother, you understand me? Matty will understand. Hell he doesn't even understand the concept of a birthday yet."
"Wally, Matty is much smarter than most people give him credit for. Even as a one year old." Artemis smiles softly. Her baby boy is a year old.
"I'm going to call M'gann and Connor. Give them an update." Artemis grabs his wrist as he starts to go.
"I love you." She says it so softly that Wally takes her hand. He leans down, pressing his lips to her sweaty forehead.
"I love you too," He kisses her before going out into the hall. M'gann answers after the second ring.
"Is she ok?" The martian asks fearfully. Wally can hear Matty babbling and assumes he's on speakerphone.
"She's in labor. They're giving her medicine that should slow or stop the baby from coming." Wally rubs his eyes," How's Matty?"
Connor answers," Running around with his pants on his head. M'gann couldn't convince him to put them on."
"Matty," Wally coos into the phone," Matty?"
"Dada!" Wally hears a thud and M'gann gasping.
"He does that all the time," Matty had not quite grasped the concept of spatial distance. He runs into the table and chairs so often that they're shocked there isn't more damage to the furniture. His mood brightens as he hears Matty babbling into the phone," Hey, buddy. Are you being a troublemaker for your auntie and uncle?"
"Yes," M'gann and Connor answer.
"He managed to pull an entire packet of flour from the pantry and cover half the kitchen in it." Connor informs him.
"We've only been gone an hour." Wally notes.
"He's his parents' son," M'gann teases. There's a heaviness to the conversation that none of them want to address.
"Hey, I know I've already asked you all for a lot-"
"We're still a team, Wally. We take care of each other," Connor reminds him.
"I know." Wally runs a hand through his hair," Look, if you can convince the birthday boy to put his pants on, could you bring him to the hospital?"
"I think you have your hands full there, don't you?" Connor asks.
"Arty and I feel guilty goddamn it." Wally jokes," We left our kid on his first birthday. Besides he should be here to meet his baby sister."
"We make no promises," M'gann says, a phrase that makes Wally smile," Let us know if anything changes with her."
"What's could go wrong?" Wally regrets those words the second they leave his mouth. A nurse comes sprinting down the hall as Wally hangs up the phone," What's wrong?"
The nurse pushes past him into Artemis's room and Wally hears wild beeping from in the room. Wally stops breathing. He follows the nurse in, finding Artemis nearly balled up on the bed. Both heart monitors are beeping so quickly that Wally knows something is going wrong. Dr. Andrews makes Artemis turn on to her back and presses her stomach. Artemis screams in pain.
"We need to get the baby out now." The doctor and several nurses begin preparing the room. Wally holds his wife's hand, a failed attempt to soothe her. Dr. Andrews is fairly calm, but Artemis can't stop shaking," Ok, I can see the baby's head. You need to push."
"Oh, God!" Artemis screams through her teeth as she pushes. Just like with Matty, time seems to slip away. But this time, it's more painful. Artemis feels like her insides are being ripped apart. She pushes when she's told, shooting swears at Wally the whole time.
"Here we go." Dr. Andrews pulls a tiny baby to him, cutting the cord with a skilled hand.
"I don't hear her crying." Artemis's voice breaks," Why isn't she crying?"
Dr. Andrews doesn't answer. Instead he quickly carries the little girl over the examination area. Wally and Artemis watch, terrified. After an eternity, Dr. Andrews turns to them," I'm sorry. It's been too long."
Artemis feels her heart being yanked out of her chest. Wally stumbles back a bit. Dr. Andrews wraps their daughter, their daughter, up and gently places her in Artemis's arms. The baby has no fat on her body. No eyelashes. Her skin is so pale that they can seem the veins in her face and neck. Artemis loosens the blanket, not really thinking about it. She touches her daughter's, her Jania's, face. The baby's skin is already cooling. Her tiny lips limp. Wally looks away, unable to bear looking at his daughter's still face.
"Where's Matty?" Artemis's voice is so soft that he almost misses the question.
"I don't know."
"He should meet her." Tears fill her eyes," He should see his little sister."
Wally numbly walks outside. In the waiting room, he's shocked to find M'gann and Connor waiting with an impatient Matty. They take one look at his face and see it. They see the numbness that he had fought against for so long. He scoops up Matty, who beams and babbles in his father's ear, without a single change in expression.
"Wally?" M'gann tries to place a gentle hand on his shoulder. He pulls away. Matty gurgles and giggles, seemingly oblivious to his father's pain. Wally carries his son, forcing himself not to think about how alive the boy is. How animated and warm he is. How opposite he is to his sister. Matty lights up when he sees Artemis.
"Mama!" he coos. Wally carries him over to the bed. Artemis chokes back a sob when he points at the bundle in her arms, proudly proclaiming," Baby."
"Yes, sweetie. Baby." Artemis motions for Wally to put him down on the bed. Matty crawls up to his mother, looking at his sister in awe," Her name is Jania. You two would have loved each other."
Matty looks up, tiny eyebrows furrowed. Artemis gives him a sad smile, tears spilling over her cheeks. Matty goes back to the still baby. He gently places a hand on her chest. Artemis and Wally have done this enough to each other and to Matty that the action breaks their hearts more. He's telling her he loves her. Artemis kisses his fiery hair, wishing Matty had gotten a chance to be a big brother. They aren't really sure what happens next. Matty's hand is still on his sister's chest, but It begins moving. Faster and faster until it's vibrating. Matty pulls his hand away with a cry of annoyance. Artemis begins to turn her attention to her son when Jania takes a shaky breath.
"Wally!" Artemis exclaims. They wait a second then they hear it again. Their daughter is breathing.
"Oh my god." Wally exhales," She's alive."
The nurse in the room comes over," We need to take her to NICU."
Artemis kisses Jania's tiny temple before handing her to the nurse. She gives Wally a death glare," Wallace West, you go with her and you don't leave her side for anything, do you understand?"
Wally nods, kissing both his wife and son before jogging out of the room. Artemis pulls Matty close, kissing his face everywhere she can reach," You are such a good boy, Matty."
"Jani ok, Mama?" he gives her a quizzical look. Artemis nods, kissing his forehead.
"Jani is more than ok, sweetheart."
In the NICU, Wally waits as they hook up Jania to monitors and a ventilator. When they're finally done, he pulls a chair up. She looks like she would fit in the palm of his hand. According to her chart, she only weighs two pounds, three ounces. Her skin had begun to pinken, though it was still fairly translucent. She still hasn't opened her eyes.
"Your daughter is a very lucky girl," Wally jumps. Dr. Andrews smiles at him," I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's ok," Wally says," So is she-"
"Her breathing is decent. I'm not sure what happened, but the nurses noticed this in her mouth," He holds up a jar with a squishy looking thing in it," Somehow your daughter managed to get this caught in her throat."
"Aside from that?" Wally asks.
"She's a little skinny, but that's not uncommon with preemies. She'll be under observation for the next few days, and will need to stay here for a while to receive care. Over all, I would say that she's a little miracle." Dr. Andrews's words make Wally smile.
"She certainly is." Wally shakes the doctor's hand. He's soon alone with his little girl, well as alone as he can get. He pokes his hand through one of the holes. Jania's tiny hand twitches as he places a finger on it," Hiya, Jani. I'm your daddy."
The little girl twitches a bit," Yeah, I'm sure you were expecting someone different. I don't blame you. You know, you've given us one hell of a day. Breaking our hearts and all that." Wally pauses," You want to know something special , Jani? Something that you'll find out when you're almost an adult? I've met you before. You'll go back in time and save my life. So I'm sure if you could answer, you'd make a joke about wanting a bigger allowance. I know. I've talked to you. You were bloody and beaten to hell and you still managed to crack jokes.
"I saw it though. I saw the quiet anger and pain that you were hiding. You're going to go through a lot of heartache. I wish I knew what it was so I could protect you. I told your brother, yeah you have a brother, this last year. Life is scary. Life is terrifying. There are people who are going to tell you you can't do anything because you don't have powers. Because for them you aren't enough. And those people can go fuck themselves." He strokes her tiny hand," Your mommy doesn't have powers, but my god she is unstoppable. She pushes herself everyday, everyday to be the best that she can be. The best at her job, the best hero, the best wife, the best mother. Your mommy is gorgeous in that fact. She never had anything handed to her, so she's use to fighting. Fighting for herself and fighting for her loved ones.
Wally laughs under his breath," I'm not allowed to call you baby girl. Mommy said that it reminds her of her father. It's what he called her to remind her that she was his. That she was worthless. But she isn't. When you grow up, I know you'll take that force that Mommy has, the one that makes her unstoppable, and you'll make it your own. You'll be able to fire an arrow without looking and still hit your mark. You'll be able to kick ass and not break a sweat. When you grow up, though, I hope you're happy. I hope you take the best parts of everyone you meet and make yourself unstoppable. No matter happens, no matter who you choose to be or what you do with your life, Mommy and I will always love you and we are going to support the hell out of you."
In her hospital room, Artemis sits with Matty. Matty points at different things, like her heart monitor or the window, and explains exactly what they are in his baby language. M'gann and Connor sit with her, listening to Matty's monologue.
"Are you-" Artemis waves her hand cutting off her best friend.
"I've been better." Matty crawls towards the end of the bed," Connor, could you hand me the birthday boy?"
Connor picks up the babbling boy. Matty giggles and grabs at his black hair," Ung Co, Ung Co."
"Yeah, yeah," Connor grins to himself as he put his nephew into Artemis's arms. Artemis cradles Matty so he looks up at her. The seasoned archer smiles proudly at her son, his bright grey eyes searching her face as he gnaws on his hands. Artemis pulls his tiny fists from his mouth.
"I have a story for you," Artemis tells him.
"Tory?" He gurgles.
"Yes, a story. Once, there was an archer. She was in love with a man who could run faster than anyone else on the whole world. They had so many adventures together, along with their best friends. Two of their friends were in love, but couldn't get it through their damn skulls," M'gann and Connor laugh," But one day something bad happened to the man the archer loved. He had to sacrifice himself to save the world. The archer felt like she lost her world when she found out. It wasn't long after that something amazing happened!
"An angel appeared. The archer didn't like her because the angel was making promises to bring back her love. The archer had been hurt so many times and lied too so often. Promises weren't usually kept in her world. This time was different. The angel, with beautiful gold hair, brought back her love. It was like the entire world was brand new. The angel had kept her promise, but she was sad now. She didn't belong here and now needed help going back to her friends.
"The angel was hurt really badly, so the archer and her love and their friends tried to help her. Some of the angel's friends appeared while the angel was resting somewhere else, demanding to know where she was. One was a man. He was furious when it turned out the angel escaped, because he was her brother. He loved her so much that he shook the earth telling the group off. His friend, a beautiful girl who he loved in a different way, tried to calm him. He blamed himself though. They proved themselves to the archer and her friends. The angel was in trouble. Bad people were hurting her. She fought them, because the angel was a badass. But she was still hurt. Her brother and friend found her. They got her help and eventually got her home."
Matty stares up at his mother completely entranced as she tells her story. He points to her stomach and clearly says," Jani angel."
Connor and M'gann exchange a surprised look. That was in essence exactly what had happened a few year ago. When Jania had gone back in time and saved Wally. Matty understood some part of that and made a connection with his sister. Artemis smiles, kissing forehead," That's right. Jani angel."
Matty yawns, curling up in his mother's arms. Artemis cradles him as he falls asleep.
"I will never understand your kid." Connor shakes his head.
"He's smart. Just like his daddy," Artemis gives them a soft glare," Either of you tell Wally that and I will make your lives a living hell."
"You really think that we'd entice your husband's already too big ego?" Connor asks dryly," M'gann might be able to stand it, but I'd probably kill him."
"And leave my children fatherless?" Artemis asks dramatically. Her phone buzzes on the table beside her. She picks it up and smiles. Wally sent a picture of Jania. Her tiny daughter looks like she's covered in a million wires and the pink knit hat is two sizes too big. Wally added the caption "Jania says hi Mommy!" Jania's tiny features look so unfinished. Like a half made doll. Artemis looks at her daughter's picture and thinks this is my beautiful baby. She glances up," You all want to see your goddaughter?"
"Wait what?" Connor blinks.
"Well, M'gann is already Matty's godmother. I figure Jania should at least get a different godfather." She smirks," I don't suppose that will be a problem?"
"No. No, it won't," Connor and M'gann look at the picture on her phone. M'gann smiles knowing what a fierce tempered, intellectual beauty she will be. Connor makes a silent vow to protect this little girl from anyone who would try to hurt her. Artemis looks at the photo again. Her tiny little baby. There's a seed of fear in her heart. When her father finds out, he'll try to hurt her. Preemies, according to Sportsmaster, were the epitome of weakness. They were pathetic, depressive worms who could never become anything or anyone important. Artemis knows there are politicians or celebrities that were premature. But that doesn't matter to an assassin. To them all that matters is strength. Strength from birth. And moving forward. It wouldn't matter that Jania had come back from life. Just that she had been born dead.
Artemis steels her heart. No. He wouldn't kill her baby. He wouldn't hurt her. He would never even touch her. Artemis looks down at her son, her Matty, her first baby. His soft features. His fiery hair. The drool dripping down his chin. The way he babbles on and on when he's up. The protective way he got when someone came to their house. She leans down and presses her lips to his tiny forehead.
"We're going to be okay," she murmurs," Daddy and I have got you. We won't let anyone hurt you or Jani."
Author's note: AWWWWWWW! Sorry, I just really love them. My next chapter is probably going to be placed a few months after they take Jania home. Love you all!
